Boud Early Origins

The surname Boud was first found in Essex where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor. After the Battle of Hastings in 1066, William, Duke of Normandy, having prevailed over King Harold, granted most of Britain to his many victorious Barons. It was not uncommon to find a Baron, or a Bishop, with 60 or more Lordships scattered throughout the country. These he gave to his sons, nephews and other junior lines of his family and they became known as under-tenants. They adopted the Norman system of surnames which identified the under-tenant with his holdings so as to distinguish him from the senior stem of the family. After many rebellious wars between his Barons, Duke William, commissioned a census of all England to determine in 1086, settling once and for all, who held which land. He called the census the Domesday Book, [1]CITATION[CLOSE]Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8) indicating that those holders registered would hold the land until the end of time. Hence, conjecturally, the surname is descended from the tenant of the lands of Rockford, held by Alfred of Swain of Essex who was recorded in the Domesday Book census of 1086.

Boud Spelling Variations

Boud Spelling Variations

Norman surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are largely due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England, as well as the official court languages of Latin and French, also had pronounced influences on the spelling of surnames. Since medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings. The name has been spelled Boade, Boode, Bude, Boud, Boude and others.

Boud Early History

Boud Early History

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Boud research. Another 205 words (15 lines of text) covering the years 1510, 1600, 1137, 1604, 1650, 1649, 1673 and 1721 are included under the topic Early Boud History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Boud Early Notables (pre 1700)

Boud Early Notables (pre 1700)

More information is included under the topic Early Boud Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Boud In Ireland

Boud In Ireland

Some of the Boud family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. Another 169 words (12 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

The Boud Family Crest was acquired from the Houseofnames.com archives. The Boud Family Crest was drawn according to heraldic standards based on published blazons. We generally include the oldest published family crest once associated with each surname.